Tracking the Capture of Tacit Knowledge in Product Lifecycle Management Implementation

Abstract

This study outlines the importance of tacit knowledge for engineering organizations, specially engineer-to-order organizations, and its impact in Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) implementations. The use of maturity models as roadmaps and its functions in PLM and knowledge management (KM) are explored. Difficulties of managing knowledge to prepare an organization for PLM implementation, and how PLM maturity models lack the granularity to support KM for PLM implementations are also explored. To support KM for PLM implementations, a tacit knowledge codification scale is developed from KM and PLM maturity models. The scale intends to help knowledge managers better prepare the organization for a PLM implementation and better support the implementation effort.